Antinori Palace
Antinori Palace (Istalian: Palazzo Antinori) is an ancient palace and noble residence in Romula which is the official residence and workplace of the Prime Minister of Istalia. The Council of Ministers meets in Antinori Palace. It's name is often used as a metonym for the Prime Minister and the Government. History The Palace was commissioned in 1863 by the noble romulan Antinori family, Princes of Castel Pallado and Counts of Cordona, among the richest family of Romula since the half of 18th century. Despite the limits imposed to the Istalian nobility from the authorities of the Empire of Quanzar, the Antinori's were able to maintain important positions into the administration of the city, mainly through important "donations" to the local Quanzarian rulers. At the end of 19th century, thanks to a long lasting friendship with the powerful military commander of the city, it was granted to the Prince Marcantonio Antinori the right to build an elegant city residence in the center of Romula. Due to a ban for the istalian nobility to build massive residences into the largest city of the Peninsula, imposed by the Quanzars as one of the numberous measures to hit the istalian culture, Prince Antinori presented the project as the new seat for the city Chamber of Commerce, an institution where the Antinori's had large interests. In this way they were able to show their opulence thanks to the residence as well as to control and increase their influence into the institution, securing also the monopoly on the trade of oil of wales in the city and in most part of the peninsula, a key product in the second half of 19th century. The son of Marcantonio, Ascanio, continued to follow the economic activities of the family, indeed diversifying them, but he was remember also to have been an important patron of istalian arts and of the istalian nationalist movements. After the fall of the Empire of Quanzar, an old Ascanio conspired in 1934 with other istalian nationalists to unleash a revolution against the Quanzar also in Istalia. The relocation of the Emirs' Court in Istalia with their remaining armies, smaller then previously but large enough to enforce a full control on the peninsula, nipped in the bud the conspiration. Ascanio Antinori was arrested and executed with many other nationalists, becoming a symbol of the resistence: when the second Emir of the newly established Emirate of Quanzar expressed his desire to demolish the Palace of the Princes, this unleashed popular demonstration in Romula and also a strike of the merchants which risked to undermine the most important production for exportation of the country, the wheat, largely sold in Solentia, Kalopia and Kafuristan and from which the Emirate were able to gain a lot of money, in large part destined to the sustenance of their Armies. With the falling of the Emirate, the Palace was purchaised by the new Government of the Union of Quanzari Soviets to be destined to be a museum of the Resistence against the Tyranny. Among the istalian population, however, there were many who thought that the palace had to be transformed into a museum on istalians and istalian resistence, instead than an highly biased institution used by the socialist propaganda of the Union. When finally was founded the Quanzarian Republic in 2233, the first democratic regime effectively controlled by the istalians, the new Government decided to drop the idea of a museum to make the palace the worthy seat and official residence of the Head of the Istalian Government. Curiosity A stylized image of the facade of the Palace is used in the official seal of the President of the Council. Category:Landmarks